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Look Ma! No Volume Support.

As complex as Liam’s medical needs are, even the biggest of accomplishments can be wiped clean by the backslide of an illness or a long hospital stay. Now, we could focus on how depressing it is that while last year at this time Liam was walking in his walker a couple of times a week but after last summer’s 40 day hospital stay he has only done it once in the past 6 months. We could focus on the fact that he’s NOT doing something as often or as well as he once was but that just doesn’t sound like us now does it?

Instead, and in true Olson fashion, we simply relish the fact that we get to celebrate certain accomplishments again and again! What could be better? Last year alone we got to celebrate Liam’s “first” day of school three times.

How many families get to say that?

Well, we do. We get to say that and tonight we got to celebrate something again. For the first time since July Liam spent 30 minutes breathing on his own without the aid of his ventilator.

No doctor’s orders or therapist’s suggestions. Just Liam’s Mom deciding that it was time for him to do a little more work today. Just a wonderful picture to surprise me at work. Just the knowledge of a parent that it was time. That he was strong enough again. That whatever vent setting adjustments and illnesses may have delayed the progress of getting Liam off his vent that his Mom knew that he was ready and who in the world is better suited than a boy’s mother to make that call?